Mary TV Daily Reflection 3/8/2011

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March 8, 2011
St. John of God

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! My motherly heart suffers tremendously as I look at my children who persistently put what is human before what is of God, at my children who, despite everything that surrounds them and despite all the signs that are sent to them, think that they can walk without my Son. They cannot! They are walking to eternal perdition. That is why I am gathering you, who are ready to open your heart to me, you who are ready to be apostles of my love, to help me; so that by living God's love you may be an example to those who do not know it. May fasting and prayer give you strength in that, and I bless you with the motherly blessing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Thank you." (March 2, 2011)  

 
I was very struck with the way Our Lady blessed us at the end of this message.  She often tells us she is blessing us, but here she actually intones the blessing.  "I bless you with the motherly blessing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." How beautiful this blessing feels!  The Mother of God gives us her motherly blessing, in the name of the Trinity.  It is very much like the blessing parents give their children before bed, or when they are going off to school.  It is the Sign of the Cross, the perfect Christian blessing! We children need our Mother's blessing.  We need the Sign of the Cross marking us for Christ in this world of demonic activity.  

But I think that in this blessing Our Lady is also giving us an example.  She gives us a blessing. We can give a blessing to all the people we encounter in our daily lives, too.  How many times have I stood in line at the grocery store, or waited at a red light, or sat in a restaurant or movie theater, surrounded by strangers!  And how often have I just idly looked around and wondered about them or made judgments about them?  Lots.  I have noticed that my idle thoughts can be very unkind, or at best, indifferent.  

I think that Our Lady's blessing is signaling something to me.  When I find myself

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amid strangers, I can be an example to those who do not know God's love by blessing them. Instead of just gaping at them, I can turn that moment into one of prayer and blessing.  I don't have to say a word, or make a gesture.  I just need to turn the eyes of my heart towards the Lord, and ask Him to bless them.  I can silently turn to Our Lady and ask her to bless them with her motherly blessing.  That is a much better use of the time of encounter we may have than in judging or wondering about them.  And the more I turn my gaze to the Lord, the more I will be receiving from Him too.  It is a double blessing.  The person I pray for gets blessed, and I get blessed by the contact with God.  How much peace and joy could be spread by this simple practice!!  

So, for Lent, I am going to work on my thoughts, and turn them into blessings.  The more time spent in blessing the better!  Thank you, dear Mother, for showing us your Motherly Heart. Thank you for your blessing.

 

 

In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan

           

www.marytv.tv 

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